Zambia says mining area hit by acid spill safe from contamination

Zambia's government spokesman Cornelius Mweetwa pushed back against claims of contamination by the US embassy, telling a press conference Thursday that teams had cleaned up the affected area using lime to reduce acidity levels.

It followed a US embassy alert Wednesday which warned of 'hazardous and carcinogenic substances' in Chambisi, an area in northern Zambia affected by a spill from a copper processing plant in February.

The spill happened when a dam that holds acidic and heavy metals waste at a Chinese-run mine failed, resulting in some 50 million liters of toxic materials flowing into the Kafue River.

The US embassy warned against any travel to the area, and said it was withdrawing staff from the affected region.

But Zambia's government said that laboratory tests had confirmed that acidity levels were back to normal, and that danger to human, animal and plant life had been averted.

Mining accidents are common in Zambia, one of the biggest copper producers in the world.